Tenten Gaiden!
by recodan
Summary: I know. You've read a bunch of 'alternate team' style fics. This one's different. Naruto's on the team, Neji isn't. Lee doesn't wear spandex. And Tenten is GASP! THE MAIN CHARECTER! Warning - Canon not guarenteeded. Naruto x Tenten most likely.
1. Chapter 1

" Who's the blonde kid?" Tenten asked one of her friends, pointing down to a kid a year younger then them sitting where Neji usually did. The Hyuuga, who had been ruled as the Number One Rookie, had been sick during his exam and failed, though just barely.

" That's Naruto Uzamaki." replied the girl, peering though her glasses with a scowl. " He's the boy who keeps pulling those huge pranks. My mom said to stay away from him."

" I still can't believe Neji failed." said Tenten, leaning against her desk. " I wanted to be on his team."

" Yeah." said the girls in unison, sighing sadly. The cold, moody Hyuuga was the default crush for their class.

" Whoever gets stuck with Naruto or Lee is in trouble." said one of the girls as Tenten took several senbon and began balancing them on her fingertips. She was easily the best with weapons in the class, due to her 'obsessive' practice with them. She didn't like the claim she was obsessive about objects that could be used to slash or cut or stab or smash or pierce or mutilate or…..

'_kay, fine, I'm obsessed._ she thought, sighing. It's not like it was her fault, though. She orphan and a foreigner, so it's not like much of her time was taken up by her family. She'd just always distracted herself by practicing, driving herself to one day be as good as Tsunade.

" Which team am I on, sensei?" asked Lee, nearly leaping out of his seat, the moment the teacher entered. The instructor, who had never quite gotten used to the boys intensity, sighed as he took a seat at his desk. Tenten didn't miss the small scowl that formed on his face as spotted Naruto. Besides being the best with weapons in her class, one of the best at taijutsu, and highly intelligent, she had highly acute vision and was able to spot things that everyone but Neji would miss._ Why would sensei be upset about Naruto being here? It's not like the boy's going to pull a prank in this class._

" Hey, who's the squirt?" said one of the boys, wandering in late.

" Naruto Uzamaki, the villages next Hokage!" said the orange clad boy, leaping onto his desk dramatically and taking what he must have thought was a impressive pose.

" Yeah right. I could take you even if I had two broken arms." said the boy with a laugh, walking past.

" You want a fight?" said Naruto, flipping and landing in front of the boy.

" That's a good idea." said the teacher, standing up. " I'd rather be sure you didn't just pass due to a fluke."

_Liar._ thought Tenten, watching the mans eyes and reading his intentions. _He wants to throw Naruto out._

" Great!" said Naruto, giving the man a genuine smile. " Where?"

" Oh, here should be good enough." said the teacher with a smirk. The older boy turned to Naruto.

" Tell you what." said the boy with a sneer. " I'll let you go first."

Not hesitating a moment, Naruto formed a hand seal which resembled the clone technique. There was a bang and smoke covered the entire classroom, fading slowly. The boy was surrounded by thirty clones of Naruto who stood smirking widely. Tenten noticed that Naruto's incisors were larger that most, and when combined with the tattoos on his cheeks, it made him look like a fox. _The Inuzuka have similar markings and a bloodline relating to dogs. I wonder what the Uzamaki have?_ she thought.

" Clones?" said the boy with a laugh. " Come on! You could do anything!"

" That technique is suitable only for distractions." said the teacher. " Perhaps you were not taught when to use it correctly."

" Not clones." said the real Naruto, voice laden with triumph. " Shadow clones."

" That's not possible." said the teacher with a laugh. " First, that's a jounin level technique. Second, for a average jounin with appropriate chakra reserves and control, forming more than seven would be exhausting."

All color drained from the teachers face when one of the clones walked over and handed him his coffee cup.

" Wait, what are they?" said the boy, becoming concerned.

" P-physical clones." said the teacher in shock. " They can fight as well as the creator."

" Oh, so their still wusses." said the boy, relaxing. " Bring it." he said, taking combat pose.

Tenten was surprised at how fast the first five clones landed their kicks, sending the boy to the floor with a crash. While he was younger then them, the boy was quick. _Like how foxes are quick._ she thought, filing the assessment away mentally.

" That's all?" said Naruto, blinking as the clones vanished. " Mizuki-sensei was able to take down twenty before I beat him up."

" What?" said the teacher, backing away.

" He tricked me into stealing a scroll from the Hokage last night, then tried to kill me and Iruka-sensei and escape with the scroll. I kicked his ass." said the boy, smiling proudly.

" You stole a scroll from the Hokage?" asked Tenten, remembering hearing that there had been a incident the night before.

" Yeah. It was pretty easy after I used my best technique." said Naruto, smiling.

" What technique could be better than that?" asked Lee, sounding jealous. Tenten looked to the boy sympathetically. As he could not mould chakra, he had a severe disadvantage. This Naruto kid looked to be quite the prodigy with ninjutsu, so Tenten wouldn't blame Lee if he disliked the boy.

" This!" said Naruto, forming another hand sign. There was a puff of smoke around him and everyone waited with bated breath as it faded, revealing a….incredibly attractive nude woman?

While the girls looked on in confusion, every boy (including the teacher) collapsed to the ground with a severe nosebleed.

_There are stories about foxes turning into women to trick people._ thought Tenten, grimacing. _I guess a fox clan would develop some technique like that. _

" You pervert!" shouted the teacher, leaping to his feat as Naruto changed back and began to laugh.

" The Hokage loses against that every time!" said the boy between guffaws.

" Hey, can you teach me that?" asked Tenten. Everyone turned and looked at her, faces blank. " What?" she said defensively. " 85 of the ninja you'll run into are men. If you could do something like that, you could take most of them down easy."

" But you're a girl." said one of the boys. " Aren't you mad at him?"

" Uh, no." said Tenten, as if it should have been obvious. " I'm a ninja. If a technique works, go with it!"

" But…you don't need to transform to do that." said the boy.

" If you think I would take off my shirt for something like that," said Tenten, killer intent radiating from her like a hurricane, " you are sorely mistaken. That technique allows me to get the effects while keeping my modesty."

" Sorry! Don't kill me!" pleaded to boy. The entire class had backed away from the notoriously temperamental tomboy.

" If were on the same team, sure!" said Naruto, plopping back into his seat.

" Are we?" Tenten asked the dumbfounded instructor. He looked down the list.

" Rock Lee, Tenten, and Naruto Uzamaki." said the teacher.

While Tenten smiled, happy to be on the interesting boys team, she felt sorry for Lee. Besides prodigies like her and Naruto, he'd be constantly overshadowed and probably ignored.

" Yosh!" said someone loudly. Everyone turned in unison and spotted a large, muscular man in a green jumpsuit standing in the doorway. " My apprentices, follow me! The first test of the power of your youth is to get to training ground fifty before I do!"

Tenten scrambled to her feet, wanting to make a good impression. She, Naruto, and Lee raced out the door quickly, following the peculiar man who was prancing away at lightning speed. It was a incredible race. Rock Lee, as she knew well, practiced and trained at taijutsu and endurance constantly and Naruto was uncannily fast. However, Lee was clumsy and tripped over multiple trash cans and fruit carts while Naruto leapt onto the rooftops nimbly, taking a shortcut Tenten wasn't aware of.

However, Guy seemed to be the physical incarnation of speed and they didn't have a chance.

Naruto arrived first, mere seconds before Tenten. She leaned over, puffing for breath as they waited for Lee, who arrived a minute later. The boys white shirt was stained with mud and his black braid had twigs caught in it.

" Yosh!" said Guy loudly. " While you all must work on your speed and endurance, you have done well! You, my youthful apprentices, have the fortune to be trained by the legendary Green Beast of Kohona, Might Guy! With my exercise regimens and training, you shall become legends as well!"

Rock Lee looked shocked, Naruto looked dumbstruck, and Tenten felt creeped out by the giddy man. _I've heard of the Green Beast….a little. He's supposed to be Kohona's leading taijutsu instructor. But he just seems….so….gay._

" Now, let us do our introductions youthfully!" said Guy, leaping backwards and landing on a small log with one foot. " You shall each take up this position while we speak!" he commanded, balancing on one leg. There were a number of the short poles in a grid, so Guy probably would have them train on them a lot. There were man training dummies, combat posts, and targets around them as well. While odd, it seemed Guy's training ground was well prepared.

Sighing, Tenten got onto the post and balanced nimbly. She was rather graceful, so she didn't have to struggle and much as Naruto and Lee.

" I will introduce myself first!" said Guy with a shining smile, giving them a thumbs up. " I am Might Guy! I enjoy taijutsu, endurance training, and challenging my rival Kakashi, the Copy Ninja!"

" I will go next!" said Lee, face red with strain. " I am Rock Lee. I cannot use ninjutsu or genjutsu, but I train every day to improve my hand to hand skills. It is my dream to prove that even though I can't use chakra, I can still be a splendid ninja!"

" I'm Naruto Uzamaki!" said the blonde boy loudly, swiveling in midair. " I like ramen noodles. I hate how long it takes to cook instant ramen and stuck up people! I'm going to be the next Hokage, believe it!"

" Tenten." she said, stretching lazily. " I like weapons. I want to prove that kunohchi can match shinobi in combat and become a famous ninja like my hero, Tsunade the Sannin!"

" Yosh!" said Guy, throwing his hands into the air. " The fires of your youth burn most fiercely!"

The genin grimaced as they realized that 'youth' was going to be a common motif during their training.

" I must now leave you to go face my rival Kakashi in our weekly challenge!" said Guy, leaping high into the air and landing gracefully. " We will meet back here after lunch for assessment of your skills!"

The genin hopped off of the poles as the jounin raced away.

" I had hoped to begin training." said Lee, looking annoyed.

" Hey, you guys want to go get ramen for lunch? The ramen stands pretty close." asked Naruto, smiling.

" Sure." said Tenten, smiling. She usually ate back at her apartment the village had provided for her since she didn't have anyone to go to meals with.

" Do they have curry?" asked Lee, looking hopeful.

" Uh…no." said Naruto, blinking. " Why would you want curry?"

" Curry is the best!" said Lee, looking insulted. " It is far superior to ramen."

" Take that back!" shouted Naruto angrily, glaring at Lee. Tenten sighed and threw a kunai between them, getting their attention.

" We don't want to get in a fight on the first day, guys." she said, giving them a look of disapproval. " That's a bad way to start, and I hear some jounin send teams back if they don't work together."

The boys looked shocked. Tenten smirked. _Looks like I'm going to be in control. Nice._

" So, uh….what if hit the ramen stand, then go get curry?" suggested Naruto.

" That would be acceptable!" agreed Lee.

" All right! Ramen! Ramen ramen ramen!" the blonde boy ran down the street triumphantly as he lead them to the stand.

----

" So, I don't really know you two." said Naruto as he slurped up some noodles. They were back at the training grounds with some take out.

" We just met." said Tenten, taking a bite of curry flavored chicken.

" I mean, like, anything." explained Naruto. " If we'd been in the same class, I'd have had a chance to pick up some things about you guys, like your families or something."

" Oh." said Tenten thoughtfully. " Well, I'm a orphan. I was found in a shipwreck on the coast by a ninja from the village and brought back here."

" I am also a orphan." said Lee though a mouthful of curry. " My parents were killed when the Kyuubi attacked."

It was impossible to miss the look of pain on Naruto's face.

_Did he lose his parents then too?_ thought Tenten. _But his clan's got something to do with foxes. _

Her eyes sprung open as a thought crossed her mind.

_What if it was their fault it attacked? Naruto would have grown up feeling guilty for something like that and it would have been shushed. _

" Uh….okay." said Naruto absentmindedly, stirring his broth with a chopstick. Tenten and Lee looked to each other, silently searching for a answer for the boys reaction.

" I have returned, my youthful students!" said Guy, appearing from nowhere. Tenten sighed, as she now wouldn't have the opportunity to dig any farther into Naruto. " For today, I shall merely test your skills. Tomorrow, in the early morning, we shall begin the true test of your youthfulness!"

" How do you test that?" asked Lee, seeming bewildered.

" There is a traditional exam the jounin give to determine if you are truly capable of becoming genin." said Guy, smiling widely. " If you fail, you return to the academy for another year."

" What?" blurted the genin in unison.

" First, I wish to see what equipment you are carrying!" said Guy, continuing on as if he hadn't said anything surprising. Grumbling, the genin took out their weapons and laid them out. Naruto and Lee both had the standard sets, which was three kunai, twelve shuriken, bandages, two smoke bombs, and a belt pouch.

Tenten, however, had ten kunai, thirty shuriken, eighteen senbon (not counting two she used to keep her hair in place), five explosive tags, forty feet of wire, a medical kit, two smoke bombs, two knives she kept concealed in her shoes, three collapsible shuriken that were hidden in her belt, and brass knuckles.

Naruto, Guy, and Lee looked impressed as she sat there contentedly.

" That is a impressive arsenal." said Guy, looking thoughtful.

" Where did you fit all that?" asked Naruto, looking at Tenten's pink shirt and cargo pants in surprise.

" While Naruto as Lee's equipment is sufficient for basic missions, Tenten's equipment is suitable for long, extended operations. You would do well to build a similar arsenal." said Guy, giving Tenten a look of praise. Had it come from someone who wasn't wearing spandex, Tenten would have enjoyed it. She tried to smile politely and fight back her shuddering.

" Uh…I don't think I can afford all that." said Naruto, sweating nervously.

----

Guy tested them in hand to hand, weapons, and various physical exercises. Tenten was, as she could have predicted, the most accurate with weapons. Naruto's taijutsu wasn't very good, but he was fast and unpredictable, and if he was using clones he'd be a serious opponent. While Lee tried hard and was physically stronger than Tenten, he seemed to have no manner of luck. He would manage to trip over a root at the worst possible time, dodge into attacks that should have missed, and one time his braid had hit him in the eye as he had attempted a spinning kick, blinding him at the critical second.

When Guy ended the training near sunset, Lee left immediately. Tenten felt sorry for the boy, who had been constantly embarrassed throughout the day. She wanted to apologize to him, but she felt that might make things worse.

" Well, I'm going for ramen. See ya tomorrow, Tenten!" said Naruto cheerily.

" Uh, hey, mind if I come with?" asked Tenten, pushing her thoughts aside for the moment. She didn't feel like another evening of throwing sharp things at a target before eating a microwave dinner alone.

" Sure." said Naruto, blinking in surprise. They began to walk down the street, side by side, watching the orange sun slowly set over the Hokage's monument.

" So, uh…." Tenten began, but trailed off as she chose her words. She wanted to find out a bit more about Naruto and his clan. Unfortunately, her conversation skills were rather…nonexistent. She stated the facts bluntly and moved on to the next topic. However, given Naruto's reactions earlier, she was not sure than would be a good thing. " Why do you like ramen so much?" she said, mentally sighing and going with something less likely to cause a incident.

" Because its awesome!" said Naruto, smiling widely. " The warm noodles, the delicious broth, the wonderful smell….." he trailed off, smiling as if anticipating the food. " And it's cheap."

_That's the second time he's mentioned money like that._ she thought. _His clan might be poor. That would explain why I haven't heard of them. If they are poor, they might be weak and low in standing. Someone with Naruto's skills, however, probably is one of their hopes for the future. If he becomes jounin or Hokage, they might be able to establish themselves._

" So, what's with your hair?" asked Naruto, pointing to the buns that Tenten kept.

" Is something wrong?" she asked, feeling them. They seemed to be in place.

" It's just…weird looking. It makes you look like one of those…things…those foreign bears…a panda!" said Naruto, brightening as the name came to him.

" Oh. I keep my hair like this because this is how it looked when I was found. Anyways, your one to say someone looks like a animal." said Tenten with a giggle. " Those tattoo's make you look like a fox."

To her utter confusion, that strange pained look returned for a second.

" Uh, yeah. I don't think about them much." said Naruto, quieter than he had been talking before. There was an awkward silence as they continued forward.

_Good going, girl._ Tenten thought sourly. _Figures you found his button and pressed it. He doesn't like his clan, so you brought it up in a teasing manner. And why? Cause he said you looked like a panda? Come on, what's wrong with that? Panda's are cute!_

Ding. The light lit in her head.

_He was calling me cute. Dammit, he called me cute and I insulted him!_

" Hey Naruto!" said the old man who ran the ramen stand, waving to them. He had been friendly to the boy earlier, which was different than that looks of hatred the other villagers that Tenten could see were giving Naruto. The Uzamaki had to be a pretty unpopular clan. Sure, Naruto had defaced the monument a few times, but it had been cleaned up. No way they'd look at him like that for some stupid prank.

" Miso please!" said Naruto, cheering up instantly. He sat and began to eat, letting out contented sounds and he devoured the noodles.

" I'll have a pork ramen." said Tenten, handing her money to the cook. He gave her a approving smile and a glance to Naruto.

" Hey, where did you keep all those weapons?" asked Naruto, looking up from his food.

" In my clothes. Duh." said Tenten, smiling. " I designed my outfit to hold things easily."

" Mpgh." said Naruto as he slurped some noodles.

" Uh, I have to ask." said Tenten, looking at the boys jacket. " Isn't orange a bad color for stealth?"

" Isn't pink?" replied Naruto with a smile.

" Good point." said Tenten with a laugh. " I guess stealth is out."

" Lee might be good at it, but things…just go wrong for him, so probably not." said Naruto, looking down at his noodles.

" Yeah. How unlucky can someone get? He's clumsy, an orphan, and can't use chakra."

" He can't?" said Naruto, eyes bugging.

" He said that a couple times today, Naruto." said Tenten with a sigh. " Didn't you hear?"

" I was probably thing about ramen." said Naruto, sighing contentedly as he put down the empty bowl.

_Brawn: Yes. Talent: Yes. Brains: No._ she thought as she sweat dropped.

----

After a wonderful half hour of polite conversation they parted ways. Usually, Tenten would have gone home, but tonight she had a plan. She made her way to her favorite ninja outfitter and entered. It was twenty minutes until the store closed, which would give her just enough time.

" Oh! Tenten!" said the merchant happily. She was one of his best customers, so he was always happy to see her. " How can I help you this evening?"

" Well, I just made genin, so I figured I should buy a few bingo books." said Tenten, hatching her plan. If the Uzamaki had a bloodline, they would be listed. Plus, it was time to begin learning them. " I'd like one for each of the major countries and Kohona's."

" Our villages too?" said the merchant, smiling as he took out the tomes. " Looking for challenges?"

" Well, mostly trying to keep busy." said Tenten with a giggle. " But it's kinda a personal project."

" So, what's your genin team like?" asked the merchant, ringing up her total.

" Well, the jounin is Might Guy. He seems….knowledgeable…."

" But weird." said the merchant with a knowing look. " He's infamously eccentric. His page in the book's almost comedy." he said, tapping the book. " But, he's a S-Rank individual none the less."

" Theres also a boy my age named Rock Lee. He's struggling, but he gives it his all. And another boy named Naruto Uzamaki." Tenten watched the mans face paled, as she had planned to gauge his reaction.

" I shouldn't tell you this." said the man in a whisper, as if they were being watched. " But find a new team. That boy….he'll probably kill you or worse."

Tenten left feeling confused. The merchant was usually a friendly, jovial man. But he'd been terrified for her at Naruto's mention. _The Uzamaki must have some seriously dark history._ she thought unhappily. _But I don't think Naruto's….like that._

-----

She spread herself out on her pink blanket which was emblazoned with shuriken and opened the first bingo book which listed Kohona. She began to read though the index, looking for the Uzamaki. After failing to find them in an of the books, she sighed in frustration and lay back.

_Naruto…dammit, if I wasn't such a idiot I could just ask you what this is all about._ she thought, looking to the ceiling. _If your clans not listed, they either are so weak that they aren't worth mentioning or they did something so bad that their being kept secret. _

She nodded off quickly and dreamt of weapons.

----

" Hey!" said Tenten, waving as she walked up. Rock Lee had gotten to the training ground first and was practicing on a dummy.

" Good morning." replied Lee politely, keeping his focus.

" Good morning, my youthful students!" cried Guy as he skipped merrily onto the training field. " Are you ready for your final test?"

" Uh, sensei, Naruto's not here." said Tenten, looking around.

" Hmm." said Guy, looking thoughtful for no real reason. " I prefer when my students are on time. Lateness is a sign of fading youth."

Tenten sweat dropped.

" Uh, maybe he's just running a little behind, sensei." said Tenten, smiling and trying to placate the jounin.

" We can begin without him." said Lee determinedly. " Since we were here on time, there is no need for us to hold back."

" Sorry!" Naruto called out, running into view. " I overslept!"

While Tenten was happy that Naruto had arrived, Lee seemed a little put off.

" Yosh!" said Guy, taking a pose and holding out two bells. " We can now begin! Your mission is to get these two bells from me before nightfall! If you fail to get one, you will be sent back to the academy!"

" But…there are only two bells." said Lee, pointing to them.

" Correct." said Guy with a blinding smile. " One of you must fail."

" It won't be me!" yelled Naruto, charging straight towards Guy.

" Or me!" cried Lee as he dove for the bells.

Before their attacks connected, however, Guy vanished in a blur. The two boys collided and fell to the dirt.

" Hold it!" said Tenten, racing over and separating them quickly. " If you two just go head on, he's gonna win. A jounin is way above our level."

" Then how do we beat him?" asked Naruto, standing up and brushing himself off.

" By planning." said Tenten with a smirk. " See ya." she raced into the trees to search for Guy, getting a head start on the boys.

Not far away, she found Guy perched in a tree, looking about warily. She snuck around his position and found a spot that gave her a good view of her teacher. There were no branches or trees in her way, but there was a bush suitable for hiding. She drew three senbon and waited. She was going to let Naruto or Lee attack first and draw Guy's attention, then hit him with a needle in the leg and get a bell when he stumbled.

" Yahhhh!" She didn't have to wait long. Lee came racing though the forest towards Guy, leaping onto the branches and charging Guy. Despite the advice she had given him, he was still attempting a frontal attack. He leapt in a flying kick towards Guy, but Guy countered with amazing precision, knocking Lee back. However, Lee caught a branch with one hand and spun around, flipping himself back onto a bough.

_Woah._ thought Tenten, amazed at the move. When something didn't go wrong, Lee was actually quite acrobatic. He charged Guy again and attacked with a flurry of punches, but Guy was able to block them all with little effort. However, Tenten could see a look of approval on his face and he began to lead Lee through the combat, positioning himself and his attacks to shift Lee into a more correct form. _He really is a incredible instructor_ she thought.

However, Guy was not giving up the bells. He drove a strike into Lee's shoulder, paralyzing the boys arm, then quickly knocked the boy to the ground. Siezing her chance, she threw the senbon, which arced perfectly towards Guy. However, before they hit, Guy spun. He wore the typical sandal with the exposed toes, and to Tenten's amazement he caught the three needles with his toes. He gave her a smile and leapt though the air in her direction, kicking his leg out and launching the needles back.

"Damn!" she swore, drawing a kunai and deflecting the needles. A moment later Guy landed and swung a mighty kick she was barely able to duck. He hit a tree and shattered the bark, riposting and launching another attack instantly. Tenten had to block the second kick and was knocked backwards, falling into a bush.

" Now!" screeched someone from above. A dozen clones leapt from the trees towards Guy, catching him by surprise. However, the jounin reacted and the last second, leaping high into the air. Naruto didn't faulter a moment, however, and the clones leapt into the air. He leapt in a series of kicks, knocking himself off the clones in a chain until the last one caught him and through him at Guy as he formed more shadow clones. Guy fell slowly towards the ground, fending off the clones vicious punches.

_Naruto is amazing!_ thought Tenten, getting to her feet. _I'd never have thought to use clones like that!_

As Guy displaced the last clone and landed, Tenten charged, unleashing a small hail of shuriken. Guy deflected them and blocked the flying kick she aimed at him, then rolled away as Lee leapt in a flying tackle towards him. He was blocked by a team of clones, however, and found himself caught between a recovered Lee, Tenten with a kunai in each hand, and a squad of smiling Uzamaki.

" Yosh!" said Guy, pumping his arm. " Your youth burns fiercely! Of the genin I have tested, you three have the most potential!"

" Uh, thanks?" said Tenten, settling into a position that allowed her to dodge and attack easily.

" Your going down!" cried a clone, leaping at Guy. Without looking Guy smashed a fist into it's face, causing it to vanish. The other clones charged, entangling the jounin in a melee. Lee and Tenten entered the fray, fighting their way through the clones. Guy, however, was a whirling hail of fury. He kept the clones and the genin at bay with ease, leaving no opening for anyone to get though. Lee launched several intense taijutsu combos, Tenten threw a hail of weapons, and Naruto sent scores of clones against Guy, but it made no difference. Guy blocked everything and beat everyone.

After minutes of ineffective combat, the three genin collapsed, panting for breath. Tenten had used every one of her weapons, which lay in the grass uselessly. Lee was covered in scuffmarks and small bruises, and Naruto seemed to have exhausted his massive chakra supply. The two bells still hung from Guy's belt, completely untouched.

" I believe a short rest to restore your youthfulness is in order." said Guy, giving them a dashing smile. Tenten almost gagged. " Take ten minutes, then try again." He vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving the exhausted genin alone. Tenten struggled to her feet and began to recover her weapons.

" How are we supposed to beat him?" whined Naruto. " He's faster, stronger, and more experience. This isn't even fair."

" He was able to beat all of us at the same time." said Lee, sounding discouraged.

" Well, it's not or fault." said Tenten, pulling a kunai from a stump. " We're really good genin, but were just genin."

" Were good?" asked Lee, blinking.

" Lee, you have the best taijutsu in our class." said Tenten, explaining it to the somewhat dense boy. " Even without ninjutsu, your still really good. Naruto's got his crazy chakra and can do shadow clones, which is way beyond his level. And I broke every accuracy and weapon skill record the academy had."

The boys looked at her in surprise.

" What?" she said, confused by their reaction. " It's the truth! Of all the genin that passed, were easily the best."

" I didn't know anyone else who passed." Naruto pointed out.

" I spend most of my time focusing on training." said Lee. " I don't really know my classmates abilities."

Tenten put her face in her palm. _Great. I have the wonder dummies for teammates. _

" Look, you have to do more than just fight to be a ninja." explained Tenten. " You have to gather information and stay informed. Say that we had to fight someone. Would you rather go in knowing their abilities or not? If they use fire jutsu, we could have counter techniques prepared. Sure, the punchy-stabby part of being a ninja is the fun part, but the sneaky-thinky parts more important."

The boys were staring at her, dumbfounded.

" What?" she asked, becoming annoyed.

" I've never met a girl who liked fighting." said Naruto, sounding surprised.

" Could you say that again?" asked Lee, taking out a small notebook and tearing the plastic wrapping off. It looked new.

" Yosh!" came a voice from above. They looked up and found Guy standing there, looking down from a branch. " You pass!"

" What?" said the genin in unison as Guy leapt down.

" While I was impressed with your combat abilities, what I was looking for was a willingness to use your youthfulness together!" said Guy, giving them a thumbs up. " Individually, you are strong, but when you combine your abilities, you become stronger! Lee is willing to learn from his teammates to improve, Tenten readily shares her knowledge, and Naruto lets the power of love help him bond with the beautiful Tenten!"

Naruto couldn't have blushed deeper.

" I…wait…uh…" he began, struggling with the words.

" Now!" Guy said, continuing. " As you are officially genin, we need to discuss your roles within the team."

" Roles?" asked Tenten, trying to carry on so Naruto's embarrassment could be left behind. _Figures Guy knew he liked me as fast as I did._ she thought with a grimace. She was rather inept and things like that.

" How you shall work with the others." said Guy, looking thoughtful. " In our fight earlier, how did you attack?"

" Well, I formed a bunch of shadow clones." said Naruto, scratching his head.

" And I attacked at hand to hand while you were distracted by the clones." said Lee, his wide eyes brightening.

" Correct!" said Guy, clapping his hands. " Using your skills together, you can form a more effective formation. Your first assignment as a team will to be make a plan while I go fetch your supplies."

" Okay then." said Tenten, focusing as Guy pranced away. " So, I'm decent at short range but better at long range with my weapons."

" I have only hand to hand techniques." said Lee, nodding his head.

" I've got the Sexy Technique and Shadow Clones." said Naruto, joining the huddle.

" Well, I guess the simple thing to do is have me weaken opponents from long range until Lee and the shadow clones can get into combat." said Tenten. " That way, they can't just keep you two at bay with long range attacks and I don't need to worry about being caught in melee."

" I see." said Lee, writing furiously.

" Wow." said Naruto, sitting back. " Your really smart."

Tenten blushed slightly from the compliment.

" I have returned, my youthful genin!" said Guy as he ran towards them. He was carrying a large box. " I have your new uniforms!" he said, taking out a spandex jumpsuit and holding it out to them.

"Are you serious?" said Naruto, looking terrified. " Those things are horrible!"

" Could we…just wear our uniforms?" asked Tenten hopefully. Guy looked disappointed but not surprised. Lee looked torn between the jumpsuits and his friends, but finally nodded with Tenten. (Sorry. I just like Lee's pre-Guy outfit and hair better. It made him look like Jackie Chan.)

" If you do not want them, that will be fine." said Guy with a sigh. " But I have other tools for you. First, some light training weights for you, Lee."

" What are they for?" asked Lee, taking the metal bracelets. The looked like they would fit on the wrists and ankles.

" If you wear them at all times, you will become stronger and faster." explained Guy. " And when you remove them, you will be able to move with even greater ease and power. I am currently wearing similar weights." he said, pulling down the legwarmer to reveal heavy looking metal bars. " Tenten, since you use so many weapons, it will be useful to have one of these." Guy handed her a medium sized scroll. She unrolled it, revealing a series of seals with a black circle in the center of each pattern.

" A storage scroll?" she asked, surprised that Guy would provide her with something so expensive. She had once looked at the smaller storage scrolls which could hold five or so items, but they had cost more than she was given in a month. This one looked like it could hold three times her current armory.

" I will teach you the technique for using it before we leave. It will allow you to carry far more weapons than before with greater ease. However, you should still keep weapons on your person. It is not always possible to be drawing weapons from it during battle."

" And me?" said Naruto, smiling expectantly.

" This." said Guy, handing Naruto two wrist bracelets that were covered with seals. " Chakra disruptors."

" Huh?" said Naruto, not understanding.

" You have a superhumanly large chakra reserve." said Guy, explaining the tool." But you have poor chakra control because you don't have to worry about running out quickly. This make it more difficult to use chakra, so they are sometimes used to give you extra practice doing so. If you master controlling your chakra, your reserve will go far farther than before."

" Awesome!" said Naruto, snapping them on and forming a seal. A single shadow clone appeared next to him. " Woah. There was supposed to be four." The clone looked disappointed as he dismissed it.

" Now, what roles do you believe you will play in combat?" asked Guy as the genin fiddled with their new tools. Lee took out his notebook and began to read from the plan Tenten had made.

" Tenten will use her weapons to attack from long range, providing cover so that Rock Lee and Naruto Uzamaki can enter into close combat." Lee read.

" Good." said Guy with a nod. " A simple yet effective plan. However, I wish to dig one step deeper. What type of ninja do you believe you are?"

" Uh…." The genin didn't seem to understand, so Guy explained it for them.

" Naruto, with his exceptional chakra, is a ninjutsu type. He has show the ability to learn unusually complicated jutsu and he will be able to use them more often than usual. This lends him to a short to medium range style." Naruto beamed as Guy talked him up. " Tenten is a long range taijutsu type. Using her skill with weapons, she can pick off enemies before they can attack and aid her teammates if they get in trouble. She is also more than proficient in hand-to-hand, meaning that she can also fill that role. However, Lee will typically fill that role."

" I will?" asked Lee, blinking.

" Yes. I selected you as a student specifically because I believe that I can make you the most effective taijutsu specialist you can be." said Guy, giving him a thumbs up. _He selected Lee_ thought Tenten, smiling as the boy sat dumbfounded. _That's great. Finally, someone with some belief in Lee._

" As you are required to focus on hand to hand, you will always be attacking at that range. This gives out team a good balance. With a long range, medium range, and short range types on one team, we can face anyone without worry. If the opponent is easier to fight head on, Naruto and Lee will be the primary fighters. If the opponent is best at long range, Tenten and Naruto will be able to match him long enough for Lee to get into close quarters. "

The genin were, simply put, amazed. Guy didn't seem that thoughtful, but he had lay their abilities out simply and effectively.

" Now, to continue the test!" said Guy, leaping to his feet.

" But I thought we passed?" asked Lee.

" You passed the genin test, but you have yet to get the bells! If you fail, we shall do ten laps around the village!" Guy shouted back as he ran off. The genin leapt to their feet, racing after the jounin.

----

Sore, tired, and battered, the genin walked down the street, heading home from the training.

" Man, this is way harder than I thought it would be." said Naruto, looking to the chakra disruptors.

" Yeah, but it's gonna make us better." said Tenten, looking though the scroll. " You guys want to go get dinner?"

" Ramen!" shouted Naruto as Lee yelled " Curry!"

Tenten sighed. _Is this going to happen every time…?_

----

After knocking some sense into the boys ( Literally. She had to use a club) they went to a restaurant that served both of the boys favorite foods. Naruto drew a number of hateful glares, but he didn't seem to notice.

" So, are we going to hang out like this all the time?" asked Naruto, slurping some broth.

" Well, we could." said Tenten. " Since were on the same team, we might as well be friends." Naruto seemed to like that answer and gave her a smile.

" I like Guy-sensei." said Lee, taking a bite of his dinner.

" Yeah." said Naruto, nodding. " He's the first person who didn't laugh when I said I wanted to be Hokage."

" And he selected me as a student." said Lee, smiling. " I had assumed that I would simply be assigned to a jounin."

" Well, he's the best taijutsu instructor in the village. Since you have to focus on you, it's a good match." said Tenten, crunching her way though a egg roll, crumbs falling from her mouth. Another thing she liked about the two boys were their table manners were as bad as hers.

" What's all that rival stuff he was talking about about?" asked Naruto, thinking back. " I didn't understand that."

" Well, by constantly testing yourself against a peer, you can continue to improve." Tenten explained.

" Naruto, I choose you as my rival!" declared Lee quickly, pointing at the blonde with his chopsticks. " I shall train every day until I can match you, no matter how many clones you create!"

" Your on!" said Naruto with a wide smile.

_Boys._ thought Tenten, smirking at her teammates.

-----

So, how was that? I wanted to do another big story but couldn't find one I liked. Kept fishing around with them, until I decided on a "What if Naruto was with Guy's Team" fic. I also wanted to do a fic where Lee wasn't wearing spandex. I don't mind it, but I wanted to avoid the typical "mini-me" style jokes. Lee's still going to be creepily close to Guy, but not a clone.

But that wasn't enough.

I like doing odd things. And I like Tenten. So, this is a 'what if' fic that is Tenten centric, as if the show was around her.

God save us all.


	2. Chapter 2

Tenten yawned and stretched, sitting up in her bed and shutting her alarm clock off. She'd had a pleasant dream about explosives. She rolled out of bed and went to the kitchen, where she poured some shuriken-shaped cereal into a bowl and ate breakfast. When she finished breakfast, she dressed, still feeling sleepy, and walked to the door. She opened and nearly screamed.

" Tenten!" said Guy loudly. He was standing on top of a large turtle in front of her apartment " Today…"

She never heard the rest of what the jounin said, as she slammed the door shut in a panic.

" Hey Tenten!" called Naruto, tapping on a window. " Sensei came by and got us for a early workout. You coming?"

" Tenten?" called Lee, poking his head out of ceiling tile he had removed before she could answer. " Are you here?"

Tenten did the thing any sane person would. She screamed and began kicking everyone that got in range.

----

Tenten jogged alongside the rest of her team, silently fuming.

" Keep up the pace!" said Guy, egging them on. The genin had been running for hours, trying to keep pace with their teacher. The man was a slave driver, taking them on endless laps, side routes, and other bothersome additions to the morning. The genin were weighed down, with weights, charka restrictors, and a large heavy scroll, which made it even worse.

For an added bit of trickiness, the boys had to stay out of kicking range, as she was still angry.

" Here we are!" proclaimed Guy as they jogged into their training ground. The genin collapsed the moment they were on the cool grass, gasping for breath. Naruto, however, pushed him to his feet and after several seconds seemed to have recovered. This prompted Lee to struggle to his feet, forcing himself to match his 'rival'. Tenten took a realistic break, then got up as well.

" Are we going to do that everyday?" whined Naruto.

" Yes!" said Guy, giving them a thumbs up. " At least until you can move on to the next level!"

" Next…level?" asked Tenten, eye twitching.

" That, my youthful students, was one quarter of what I typically do for morning warm-ups!" said Guy, giving a blindingly bright smile.

" How do you make your teeth do that?" asked Naruto.

" Ah!" said Guy with a laugh. " That is one of my favorite techniques, the Nice Guy Smile Jutsu!"

Tenten and Naruto sweat dropped, though Lee looked interested.

" It is simple. You simply focus a tiny amount of chakra into your teeth and let it loose. Try it!" said Guy.

Sighing, Tenten focused the chakra into her teeth, making her mouth tingle. She then forced a smile and let the chakra loose, but this only succeeded in making her teeth glow blue. Naruto appeared to be vomiting out a geyser of chakra, having focused as much chakra in as he could. Lee, on the other hand, gave the thumbs up and let out the small white glint, accompanied by a pinging sound.

" Lee, you have mastered it!" proclaimed Guy, slapping Lee on the shoulder. " A youthful effort!"

" Thank you, Guy-sensei!" said Lee, smiling under the praise. Tenten knew Lee received little of it in the academy, so she was glad for him.

" Now!" said Guy, clapping his hands together. " We will begin our first day of training! Naruto and Tenten, you will spar while I work with Lee on taijutsu. Naruto, focus on making shadow clones as efficiently as possible, then give them to Tenten for target practice."

" On the clones?" asked Tenten. " Shouldn't I just use a target?"

" Tenten, the clones can dodge and return fire." explained Guy. " You have near perfect accuracy already, but that means little in the real world."

Tenten's face fell at this. _He could have been nicer about that since it's all I got._

" A target stands still, and even if you throw while moving it is less of a challenge. The clones will be able to give you experience with a real target, who can predict your moves. When we progress to missions, you will already know how to fight real opponents, making you more effective."

" Oh." was all she could manage, still insulted that he had called her accuracy worthless.

" I will also give you one suggestion." said Guy as he walked away with Lee. " Once, there was a ninja in this village names Itachi who learned to hit his weapons in mid-flight with other weapons, altering their trajectories. Your youthful energies should be focused into learning that as well."

" All right then!" said Naruto, smiling widely and baring his oversized canines. " How many clones do you want then?"

" Um….just form a few." said Tenten, summoning a handful of kunai.

" Okay!" Naruto energetically formed the seal for clones and there was a poof as five clones appeared.

" Crap, I forgot about the thingies! You guys go be targets while I make more."

" Targets?" said one clone. " Hell no!"

Before the others could complain Tenten put a kunai between it's eyes.

-----

" And….three more." said Naruto, struggling to force chakra into the jutsu. There was a puff as three clones appeared.

It had been three hours and was past midday now. She and Naruto were exhausted, but from different causes. Tenten had been throwing weapons continuously, having to pry them out of trees when she missed. Her arms felt like jello and her power had gone down, though she was hitting the clones more often now. Naruto was a decent dodger and blocker, so she had gotten great practice. Even for someone with Naruto's reserves though, using as much chakra as he was was strenuous, and the more recent clones had been coming in smaller numbers and hadn't been as well formed.

" My youthful apprentices, we have returned!" said Guy, appearing out of nowhere with Lee. Lee seemed like he had been working hard as well, but not as tired as they were.

" Can we take a break?" asked Tenten, lobbing a sword at a distracted clone and catching it in the gut.

" Well….." Guy looked unsure of the idea. " It would be best to carry on training, but we could do a few short matches where two practice and another rests."

" First out." said Tenten happily, taking a seat under a tree. " Hey, all surviving clones are on weapon retrieval!" she yelled out to the leftovers.

" Yes ma'am!" said the clones happily, leaping from their hiding places and searching around from the weapons.

" Yosh!" said Lee, entering a combat pose. " I am looking forward to trying my new taijutsu moves on you, Naruto!"

" All right." said Naruto, smiling. " Try them!"

Naruto, weariness seemingly forgotten, formed a squad of clones as Lee changed forward. Lee leapt in a flying kick at the first clones, catching him squarely in the chest and destroying it. He landed nimbly and blocked a punch from another, returning with a quick jab. For a moment it looked like he was holding them off, but then they began to overbear him. For each punch he blocked, two would get though. His advantages in age, size, and strength were nullified by numbers as he was battered to the ground

" Enough!" said Guy, stopping it. " Naruto, take a break. Tenten, you are in."

Naruto smirked triumphantly as the clones vanished and lay beneath the tree as Tenten walked over and faced Lee. He was battered, but he stood and faced her. She opened first with a punch aimed to the face, which he blocked quickly. While not as furious a fighter as Naruto, Tenten possessed more skill and precision, putting her more on Lee's level. The fight went on for a while until Lee was switched out, and so forth.

The sparring went on for a long time, but wasn't as hard as the continuous training they had done before. Tenten and Lee switched victories, but Naruto soundly beat both of them. The clones were just too much to handle in close combat, but when Guy made him fight without he proved a tenacious and vicious combatant. While Lee had seemingly every advantage, Naruto would come out of nowhere with his attacks and batter Lee until the boy could barely stand.

"Ung." said Lee, struggling to push himself to his feet as Naruto cracked his knuckles.

" Lee, give up." said Tenten, sighing. " There's no way you can beat Naruto."

" I will beat him." Lee said, straining. " He is my rival and I will beat him."

" Your getting your ass handed to you and he's not going all out." said Tenten disapprovingly. She was trying to stop him before he hurt himself. " Just give it a rest for today."

" Nonsense!" said Guy with a laugh. Tenten glared at him angrily, as she had almost made her point. " As long as the fires of Lee's youth burn, he should continue to try and surpass his rival!"

" Like he can do that." said Naruto, smiling as relaxing his arms behind his head.

" Naruto, stop it!" Tenten yelled at the gloating blonde. " He's trying hard. Just because you're a genius doesn't mean you get to lord it over him."

Naruto seemed stunned and Tenten felt a little guilty for her outburst. Naruto was a braggart, but he had that barely hidden layer of sadness that made her feel sorry for him. However, he was being such a jerk to Lee she had to say something.

" I'm…I'm a genius?" Naruto said, looking surprise.

" Duh!" said Tenten irately as Guy helped Lee to his feet. " Shadow clones at eleven? Chakra above jounin levels? Hell, just so you could fight with us Guy had to restrict your chakra levels! You invented your own technique already! Given, it's not really useful," she said, knowing that there weren't a lot of situations the Sexy Technique would solve, " but still, you did it. I've never heard of anyone under chunnin inventing a new technique."

" It doesn't matter if he is a genius." said Lee angrily. " I will still beat him with hard work."

" That's the spirit." Tenten said, giving Lee a smile. Naruto was still in the dumbstruck state he had been in, so Tenten figured her words had hit hard.

----

_I need a more descriptive word than awkward._ thought Tenten as she and her teammates walked into the village from the training grounds. Lee and Naruto were silent, Naruto lost in thought and Lee looking frustrated.

" So…" said Tenten, putting her arms behind her head and stretching. " Um….let's get some….dinner."

" Uh, not tonight." said Naruto dismissively. " I'm going to head home."

" Okay. See ya." replied Tenten, hoping she had not hurt his feelings too bad. The blonde walked down a side street, leaving Tenten and Lee alone.

" I will surpass him." said Lee, watching him leave.

" Lee, don' focus on beating him." sighed Tenten. " It's not that important."

" Tenten, my entire life I have been called a loser and compared to geniuses." said Lee, sounding bitter. " I just want to prove that hard work can overcome a genius, even one with Naruto's gifts."

" I'm not sure I envy his bloodline too much." said Tenten, turning to Lee. " You notice he seems really sad about random things?"

Lee nodded.

" I think his clans messed up somehow. He doesn't have much money, the villagers don't like him, and…." she trailed off for a moment, thinking how to phrase her next statement.

" What?" asked Lee, sensing her hesitation.

" They might have something to do with the Kyuubi." she replied, not knowing how else to say it. " He's got those fox whisker marks and pointy teeth, and when you mentioned the Kyuubi he got all guilty looking."

" I don't see how he could have anything to do with the demon attacking." said Lee, a twinge of loss in his voice, but no anger. " He would have been only a infant at the time."

" Yeah, but I just wonder. I can't find any mention of them in any bingo book and I've never heard of them." said Tenten, glad Lee wasn't holding the Kyuubi thing against Naruto.

" But still, it's a family." replied Lee. Tenten felt the same jealously she heard in his voice, the feeling any orphan would feel towards someone with a family.

-----

" Two more down!" said Tenten triumphantly. " I'll need some replacements soon!"

" Coming up!" replied Naruto, forming more shadow clones.

To Tenten's relief, the next day Naruto had gone back to normal.

To Tenten's frustration, Guy had taken Lee off for private lessons again, leaving her and Naruto to their own devices. Sure, practicing against dozens of moving orange targets was great (especially since that morning her team had came to her house in a way similar to the day before and she'd been only been wearing a towel when Naruto poked his head into the bathroom), but she wanted some real instruction.

Tenten raced though the trees, spotting a clone hidden in some upper branches. She threw a senbon and hit it in the arm, destroying it. At the same time several clones leapt out and charged her, so she summoned a sword and hacked at them when they attacked. She was getting the hang of the scroll and figured she could use it easily enough in combat.

" Oomp." said Naruto, shuddering as Tenten felt a burst of chakra fade. " Let's take a break. My hands are practically numb."

" Sure." said Tenten, rolling the scroll up and taking a seat on a fallen tree trunk.

" I want to apologize for yesterday." said Naruto, rubbing the back of his head and taking a seat by her. " I didn't mean to be such a jerk."

" You apologized to Lee?" asked Tenten, smiling forgivingly.

" Not yet, but I'm gonna." Naruto said, looking sorry. " I feel pretty bad for bragging when he's got that disability."

" So…" Tenten trailed off, creating a short silence. _Figures. You could never talk with the girls 'cause you didn't know how to make conversation, and the boys don't either. Quit thinking and just ask something. Doesn't matter if it's stupid._" What's your family like?"

" Huh?" asked Naruto, blinking.

" Your clan. I don't know about them. Do you guys have some bloodline related to foxes or something?" Tenten kept talking, even though she was mentally telling herself to shut up.

" Oh, uh yeah." said Naruto, blinking. She caught that look of shame in his eyes. " We…we summon foxes."

_OH god._ Tenten forced herself not to react as Naruto confirmed on of her guesses. _They did summon the Kyuubi. It was probably an accident though. STOP TALKING NOW._

" Any brothers or sisters?" she asked, cringing at her inability to stop her curiosity.

" A-a brother. He's smaller." said Naruto, stumbling over the words.

" What's his name?"

" Kamaboko." replied Naruto.

_Your kidding. Both of them are named after fish cakes? What the hell?_

" I'd like to meet your family sometimes since were on the same team." said Tenten, smiling and trying to steer away from the conversation as Naruto's eyes bugged. " So…um….Guy and Lee won't be back for a while, so do you want to go get some ramen?"

" Ramen!" cheered Naruto, leaping into the air joyously.

----

" Ramen is the best!' said Naruto before messily devouring another bowl.

" He's easily our best customer." said the ramen girl, rolling her eyes. Tenten giggled, watching her teammate eat the noodles rapidly. " Even if he is a pig."

" He's a pig?" asked Tenten with a mouth full on noodles. One piece fell onto her shirt, next to a egg stain and some broth droplets.

" Never mind." said the ramen girl, sweat dropping. " So, are you here on a date?"

Tenten and Naruto's eyes bugged in unison as they choked.

" No no, nothing like that!" said Tenten, waving and smiling nervously.

" Were just teammates!" Naruto protested, sending ramen bits everywhere.

" Ah, here are the youthful lovebirds!"

Tenten and Naruto turned and glared at Guy, who had appeared from nowhere, murderously.

" Naruto!" said Lee, jumping in front of his teacher. " I am looking forward to trying my new taijutsu moves on you!"

" You said that yesterday." muttered Naruto.

" And I will say it everyday until I defeat you! As my rival, you must be overcome!" said Lee, taking the nice guy pose.

" Lee!" said Guy, smiling widely. " The power of your youth is in full blossom!"

" Thank you, Guy-sensei!"

" Lee!"

" Guy-sensei!"

Naruto and Tenten's eyes twitched as the jounin and his favorite student began to hug, tears rolling down their faces.

" Uh, we'll…be eating." said Naruto, slowly turning around and returning to the ramen.

" So you are dating!" said the ramen girl, smiling evilly.

" That's not true!" yelled Naruto and Tenten in unison.

----

" I win again!" cheered Naruto as a clone pinned Lee to the ground.

" Let me try again!" Lee said, struggling under the orange mass of clones that had piled on him.

" Sure!" said Naruto, letting him get to his feet.

For several days they had repeated the cycle, with Guy training Lee while Tenten and Naruto practiced, until Lee sought out Naruto and they began to spar. Tenten enjoyed the fights with her teammates and was able get Guy to give her instruction during them. In a real fight she would be much more effective, as she wasn't allowed to use weapons in the sparring so she wouldn't injure her teammates, but she was picking up some useful skills and holding her own.

" That is it for today, my youthful apprentices!" said Guy, stopping the matches. " Today, we are going on our first mission!"

" Really?" asked the genin eagerly, leaping to their feet.

" Yes, it is true!" said Guy, giving the nice guy pose. " Follow me to the Hokage's tower! If we cannot make it there in two minutes, we will do a hundred pushups!"

" Yes, Guy-sensei!" said Lee, agreeing quickly.

----

After a short and hopeless run (as the Hokage's tower was five minutes away), Tenten and her team were waiting in a short line to meet with the Hokage and his aides. Guy had gone off to meet with the other jounin, leaving them alone.

" So these are the other genin teams?" asked Naruto, looking to the other groups waiting. There were a number of teams of varying ages. Some were their age, just out of the academy, while some were a few years older. The older genin were doing their best to look cool in front of the starry eyed newcomers.

" I didn't know there were this many teams." said Tenten, looking around. There were genin from most of the main clans present and members of some of the smaller ones, Tenten was able to quickly determine that there weren't any of Naruto's relatives here, much to her disappointment.

" Why is everyone staring at us?" asked Lee, checking to make sure there weren't any stains on his white martial artist shirt or black pants.

" It's probably Guy-sensei." said Tenten, covering for Naruto, who she knew was the target of the angry glares from others. " He's kinda odd looking."

" Kinda?" Naruto said, chuckling.

" Hey!" Tenten turned and saw that girl with glasses she sat next to for three years at the academy waving at her. She could never remember her (or any of the other girls, for that matter) name. " Have a moment?" she asked.

" I'll be right back." Tenten told her teammates before walking over and joining a small circle of the girls that had formed. Tenten knew of these strange circles and that they often formed when groups of females had the chance to talk, but she was never any good at them. The girls would talk and chat and gossip, somehow gleaning information on various topics. She was too blunt to usually interact, but she knew it was a valuable source of information. Besides the girls from her class, there were older genin and a woman she knew was a chunnin.

" I'm so sorry you got paired with them." said the girl with the glasses, nodding to her team.

" Why?" asked Tenten, confused.

" You got the failure and the prankster." said the girl in a matter of fact voice. " Both of the worst possible teammates."

" What the hell are you talked about?" asked Tenten, cocking her eyebrow. " Their great. Lee tries hard and works constantly at taijutsu, Naruto's probably one of the best genin in Kohona, and sensei knows what he's talking about. Sure, he's a freak, but that's okay."

" Naruto?" asked one of the older girls, laughing. " You got him in your group?"

" Yeah." said Tenten defensively. " And I'm glad of it."

" Oh?" said one of the girls with a giggle. " You got a crush on him?"

" N-no!" Tenten said angrily, though she knew she was blushing. _Why does everyone think that?_ " He's really talented and good to practice against!"

" I heard he was a loser." said one of the older girls.

Tenten wasn't sure when she did it, but she slapped the girl. While everyone looked on in shock she stormed back to her teammates, who were looking around cluelessly.

" Man, I thought we ha a catfight starting." said one of the older male genin. Tenten, already in a dangerous mood, put a kunai into the wall inches from his head.

" Hey, watch it!" said the chunnin on guard. " If your looking for a fight, take it outside."

" We can fight while we wait?" asked Lee excitedly.

" Sure." said the chunnin. " We even hold your spot in line."

" Sweet!" said the genin in unison. Naruto and Lee were always raring for a fight and Tenten felt like busting a few heads. She smiled as a number of groups eyed them, looking like they wanted to put her team in their place.

----

" So, who's it gonna be first?" asked Tenten, summoning a iron shod quarterstaff. Two groups of new genin and five older teams were assembled with them out on the grass field the chunnin had shown them to.

" We could take them all." said Naruto, cracking his knuckles.

" Get serious." said a older male genin with a laugh. " I could kick your entire teams asses."

" Hey, Lee, Naruto, lose the training gear." Tenten suggested. Smiling insidiously, Lee took the lead weights off as Naruto tossed the metal bands to the ground.

" I feel much lighter." said Lee, jumping around a little and doing a few quick punches. " Could we fight them all at once?"

" I don't think that's a good idea." said Tenten, sighing.

" Why? It's just like fighting Naruto." said Lee earnestly.

" You want to take on everyone at once?" said the girl with glasses in a mocking voice. " Sure. I'm fine with beating you like that." The other genin nodded eagerly.

" It's settled then!" yelled Tenten, throwing a senbon into the girls leg and racing forward, staff held high. Naruto formed a platoon of clones as Lee raced forward far faster than normal and drove a punch into a older boy's gut hard enough to make him puke.

The fight went quickly and brutally. The genin were overrun by the clones while Lee and Tenten walloped their way though anyone good enough to escape the clones. Tenten and Lee's taijutsu was as good as the older genin's, who were admittedly not as good as Tenten had expected. A few of them had ninjutsu or genjutsu techniques, but nothing too dangerous.

Then the other groups came out, thinking they had a better chance.

It didn't take long for the Tenten, Lee, and the real Naruto to find themselves surrounded by a endless melee of clones and genin, fending off attacks back to back. It was fun, challenging, and fulfilling at the same time.

The fact the other jounin had assembled to watch and Guy was giving them the thumbs up made it even better.

When the melee finally wore down after a half hour, they were battered and bruised, as the other genin had put up a stupendous fight, but they were the clear victor against ten teams. While Tenten and Lee had done excellently, Naruto and his endless horde of clones had been the most impressive.

" My youthful students!" said Guy, prancing over as the other jounin helped their disgraced teams off. " That was a magnificent display of the fires of your youth! I could not be prouder of you!"

" Thanks sensei!" said Naruto, smiling widely.

" But, unfortunately, we did not get a mission." said Guy, looking downhearted. " After I arrived I discovered that the Hokage was already low. However, you found a substitute by practicing against the other teams!"

" Did I do well, Guy-sensei?" Lee asked as he put his weights back on.

" Yes, you did!" said Guy, sapping Lee on the shoulder. " You were able to see the benefits of training weights and defeat a number of older genin with your youthful power! You have made me immensely proud!"

" Thank you, Guy-sensei!"

" Lee!"

" Guy-sensei!"

----

" Ramen is completely awesome in every way possible." said Naruto, slurping a noodle contentedly.

" I agree." said Tenten, smiling. They had left during Guy and Lee's hugfest and gone for dinner. Tenten had been famished and was finding the ramen delectable. Either that or the cooks were putting a addictive substance in them. _Either way…._

" Sasuke-kun, ignore her!" came a voice from down the street. Naruto turned to look, prompting Tenten to do so also. A dark haired, moody looking boy was walking down the street and being followed by a Yamanaka and a Haruno girl. The boy was wearing the Uchiha clan symbol and seemed to be trying to ignore the pair.

" Who's that?" asked Tenten, as Naruto seemed to know the boy.

" Sasuke and his fan girls." said Naruto, sounding jealous.

" He doesn't seem to like them." said Tenten, taking a bit of noodles as the girls continued bickering.

" Hey, it's Naruto!" said the Haruno, blinking in surprise. The other girl turned in surprise, their argument forgotten instantly. " I heard you flunked out!"

" Nope. Passed." said Naruto, pointing at forehead protector.

" You passed?" asked Sasuke in disbelief. " How could a loser like you pass?"

" 'Cause I'm awesome." said Naruto, learning back on his stool. Unfortunately it swiveled and he fell to the ground, his bowl of noodles falling on his head.

" I repeat." said Sasuke, smirking as Naruto pulled noodles off his face. " How could a loser like you pass?"

" Call him a loser again and I'll cut you, pretty boy." said Tenten in a matter of fact voice, acting like she was more interested in the broth she was drinking.

" Like you could actually hit Sasuke." said the Haruno, giving the Uchiha an adoring look.

" Want to risk it, pretty boy?" Tenten asked teasingly. Sasuke smirked confidently.

" Fine." he said, settling into a combat pose. " I'll make this quick."

" I'll have a pork ramen next." said Tenten, handing her bowl back and getting up. She pulled out her scroll and summoned a kunai. The Uchiha wasted no time and lunged in a skilled flying kick she barely ducked. After dodging several mover fast punches she realized that Sasuke's taijutsu was above her level, so she leapt backwards to put some range between them.

" Go Sasuke-kun!" cheered the Haruno.

" Kick his ass Tenten!" Naruto called out. The pink haired girl immediately bopped him on the head and began to yell at him.

Sasuke charged as the Yamanaka cheered. Tenten tossed the kunai at him, testing his reflexes. He caught it nimbly and tossed it back at her almost faster than she could react. However, the weapon mistress that she was, she couldn't let him beat her with the kunai and grabbed it out of air as he leapt towards her, bringing down another kick. It was identical to the one Naruto used, though much more polished. Tenten, however, had practiced against this exact move hundred of times thanks to the clones and knew exactly how to sidestep and gently swish the kunai so that it left only a hair-thin cut on the stunned Uchiha's cheek.

Triumphantly, she sealed the kunai back in the scroll and walked over to take her seat by Naruto.

" Way to go!" said Naruto, giving her a big smile.

" Sasuke-kun, your bleeding!" said the Haruno, rushing to the stunned Uchiha's side. " How dare you hurt him!" said the girl, scowling at Tenten.

" Hey, leave her alone!" said Naruto defensively. " She said she was gonna cut him, he got cut. You can't say it was her fault."

" Naruto, shut up!" yelled the pink haired girl hatefully. Tenten couldn't resist the urge and lobbed a chopstick past her hard enough to stick it into the ground.

" Don't you dare talk to my teammate like that." said Tenten, sounding bored as she began the new bowl of noodles.

" You like his girlfriend or something?" said the pink haired girl, causing a vein to bulge on Tenten's forehead.

" Tch." said Sasuke, turning and brushing off the fan girls. " It still means Naruto's a loser. He had to hide behind his teammate."

" When we spar, Naruto wins everyday." said Tenten truthfully, concealing a small smile. The Uchiha glared at them once more before storming off.

" Thanks for doing that." said Naruto, turning to Tenten. " It's great to see someone take Sasuke down."

" You could have beat him." Tenten replied.

" Yeah, but then Sakura-chan and Ino would have hit me." said Naruto with a sigh. Tenten thought it was odd for him to add a -chan to Sakura's name, but she didn't mention it. " Hey, just a question. Why do you girls all like Sasuke?"

" I don't like him." said Tenten, taking a bite.

" Oh." said Naruto, blinking. " But all the rest do."

" Isn't he like a orphan 'cause his whole clan got killed?" asked Tenten. " Everyone loves a orphan, I guess. I never really saw that, but it might be true for him."

Naruto's sad face re-emerged.

_Aaaannnddd you did it again. Good going girl._ Tenten thought, slapping herself mentally. _How the hell do you keep finding the exact wrong thing to say? But it's not like you know what's making him sad, so it's hard to avoid. All you have is guesses. _

" Yeah, I guess it must suck to be a orphan." said Naruto, stirring his noodles.

" So, uh, you said you had a little brother!" said Tenten, grasping onto the first topic that sprang into mind. _Figures I'd pick a bad one._

" Kamaboko." said Naruto, looking like he was trying to remember something. " He's about six. He looks a lot like me. He and dad are probably training right about now."

" So your dad's a ninja?"

" Yeah. ANBU captain." said Naruto quietly. " Mom used to be a ninja but she quit to raise me. Grandpa and grandma help her around the house."

" That must be nice." said Tenten. She had let herself remember a old game of hers where she would pretend she had a family. She'd stopped playing it years ago, but she still missed the brief feeling of happiness it had given her when she was little. She felt a pang of anger towards Naruto who was talking about his family in such a cold tone, as if he didn't really care about them.

" It is." sighed Naruto. For several minutes they sat silently, lost in thought.

" Uh, so see you tomorrow." Tenten said, breaking the silence and slipping off her stool.

" Yeah. See ya." said Naruto with a weak wave.

----

Tenten got home and immediately went for a shower. The day had worn her out, mentally, physically, and emotionally, so she planned on going to bed quickly. She readied her uniform and gear for the next day before entering her bedroom and plopping down on the pink covers with a sigh.

On a whim, she got back up and walked over to a box she kept in the corner. She put it on the table and took out a three shuriken she had painted when she was little, having noticed how they had the same basic shape as a person. One had a woman in a dress on it, another a man with a beard, and the third a small girl that had the same hair she did.

_Hi sis._ she thought, holding the shuriken in her hand. She could almost swear she heard a reply.


	3. Chapter 3

" Tenten!"

At the sound of Lee's voice, Tenten cringed. She had been sleeping deeply in her nice, comfy, quiet bed. Now that she was awake, she was aware that Lee and Guy were outside banging on the door.

" Gmph muble." was how 'good morning' came out when she sat up and looked around groggily. She had been up a little late since she'd had trouble sleeping, since she'd been crying about not having a family. She hated when she did that because she hated to be weak, but it was hard to resist. " I'll be out in like five minutes!" she called, hoping that Guy and Lee had not let themselves in. Sure, she locked the door, but they were ninja's. Like a lock meant anything.

After dressing quickly and eating a hasty breakfast, she went outside to join Guy and Lee. The pair was doing aerobics on her front steps, attracting odd looks from her neighbors.

" Tenten, how are you this youthful morning?" asked Guy, doing a one handed pushup so he could give her a thumbs up with the other arm.

" Sleepy." she said, looking at the sky. It had to be before seven, judging by the orange-ness of the clouds.

" Shall we go to fetch the youthful Naruto?" asked Lee. _No….he's saying it now too?_ thought Tenten, sweat dropping.

" Uh, I don't know. It's kinda early. Did his family mind the other times?"

" I don't know." said Lee, continuing the exercises. " We found him at the ramen stand."

" Oh." said Tenten with a sigh. Of course Naruto was at the ramen stand.

----

Naruto wasn't at the ramen stand.

" Has Naruto been by today?" Tenten asked the serving girl, who was cleaning the stools.

" Nope. Usually he's here for breakfast, but not today. It's pretty rare for him to not show up. I hope he isn't sick." said the ramen girl genuinely.

" Perhaps we should go by his house." said Lee. " Do you know where he lives, Guy-sensei?"

" I do not." said Guy, looking thoughtful.

_He doesn't know where Naruto lives? He knows where I live! _thought Tenten, annoyed and concerned.

" See that apartment building?" said the ramen girl, pointing to a dilapidated high rise in the distance. " Top floor on the north side. You can see him sometimes."

" Thanks." said Tenten. " I'll make sure he comes by for lunch."

" We shall race there! The last one there shall do five hundred jumping jacks!" said Guy, pointing into the air.

" One thousand!" Lee declared, upping the ante.

" Uh, since you guy's are all ready to practice, you two should head to the practice field. I'll go get him and meet you there." Tenten quickly deterred Lee and Guy. Naruto was embarrassed enough about his family. There wasn't any sense throwing the Youth Brigade into the mix.

" Yosh!" said Lee, pumping his arm. " I shall use the extra time to train so that I can surpass him!"

Tenten walked away as the 'Lee-Guy-sensei' act began again.

----

_This building is horrible._ she thought, walking up the wet, moldy steps. It looked like most the apartments were empty, the building had seen little repair, and it was surrounded by filthy alleys on all sides. True, the upper levels didn't have the same funkyness and had a excellent view, but none the less, it was the worst building Tenten had ever seen.

She came to a door that had to by the Uzamaki's. First of all there was a trashcan full of ramen cups by the door. Second of all, it was orange.

The exact same shade of orange that Naruto's jacket was.

Tenten sighed nervously, hoping she wasn't overstepping any boundaries by coming here. From the apartment she could hear a bit of a ruckus, meaning the family was probably all up. She knocked and waited, hoping for the best. She hear the sounds behind the door stop instantly.

_Crap. That can't be good._ she thought, waiting tensely. She had just about convinced herself to run when Naruto opened the door a crack and peered out.

" Uh, hi." said Tenten lamely, waving. " Sensei sent me by to pick you up for practice."

" It's time already?" Naruto asked. He seemed concerned about something.

" Yeah. I'll wait…over there." she said, excusing herself and walking a short distance from the door. Naruto quickly shut the door, leaving her alone. She could hear muffled talking coming from inside, but tried not to listen in. She had intruded enough already.

Then, as if to draw her into the situation further, the door opened and a chibi version of Naruto came out.

" Hey!" said the little boy that Tenten guessed was Kamaboko. " You look like a panda!"

" What are you doing?" screeched a woman's voice before she could reply. A older blonde woman with long hair (who was disturbingly reminiscent of the Sexy Technique) reached out and grabbed him, dragging him back in. She gave Tenten a fearful look and shut the door.

_And the weirdness escalates. _she thought. Sure, she could imagine Naruto's mother being annoyed at the little boy, but not dragging him inside like that. She's seemed practically terrified of her seeing them. It's not like she was some sort of monster.

…._Unless that's how they see the villagers._ she thought. _Since they are hated, they might be scared of being attacked or something. I'd make sure my kid didn't talk to strangers if that was the case._

" Sorry!" said Naruto, exiting quickly. " I don't know why he did that."

" It's okay!" Tenten said quickly. " It was nothing."

" Uh, let's go." said Naruto hopping off the balcony to a nearby rooftop. Not wanting to linger, she leapt after him.

-----

" Youth!"

" Guy-sensei!"

" Taijutsu!"

" Lee!"

_And that sums them up._ thought Tenten exasperatedly, watching Lee and Guy do their beloved teacher slash prize pupil thing.

It was both disgusting and hypnotic at the same time

" Clones?" asked Naruto, looking nervous.

" Sure." said Tenten, giving him a smile. She was trying to act as if nothing weird had happened, which was hard, considering the fact that she couldn't get the picture of Naruto's mother looking at her like she was some sort of monster. It was a unsettling experience. Naruto and Tenten began their routine, but were stopped by Guy.

" Today, I have some special training for you two." said Guy, indicating they should come sit by Lee. Eager for some actual attention, they raced over and sat, facing their sensei. " Lee, I want you to double your weights and run ten laps around the village."

" Yes, Guy-sensei!" said Lee, leaping to his feet, saluting, and running off.

" He's not going to be learning with us?" asked Naruto, looking confused.

" As he cannot draw chakra, learning ninjutsu would be pointless. Training is a better use of his time." explained Guy.

" We're learning new techniques?" asked Tenten eagerly. _Finally!_

" Correct. I have done some studying and found several jutsu you will find useful." said Guy, smiling and taking a 'oh yeah, I'm a awesome sensei' pose. He held two scrolls out to Tenten and gave Naruto a small slip of paper.

" Before you open them, I wish to explain some things." said Guy with a smile. Naruto looked at the paper disappointedly, but didn't open it. " First, Tenten, throw a kunai into that stump."

" Done." she said, throwing the blade at full speed and strength. It embedded several inches in.

" Now, attack me with the same kunai." said Guy, a glint entering his eyes.

" Uh…." She was drawing a blank on her teachers intentions. " How?"

" Exactly." said Guy with a smile. Tenten sweat dropped. _He didn't explain anything. _" Now, take out a shuriken."

" Ooookay." she said, drawing one from her scroll.

" Now, throw it and hit five different trees."

" Sensei, your not making any sense." she whined.

" You will understand later. Now, Naruto, as you have a large chakra reserve, you are well suited to ninjutsu. A critical step in becoming a ninjutsu specialist is to develop your elemental focus. Some ninjutsu, such as shadow clones, have no particular elemental focus."

" Elemental focus?" asked Naruto, looking confused.

" The element that the jutsu uses for it's effects. This, for example, is a earth technique." said Guy, throwing together several hand seals clumsily. It was obvious he rarely used ninjutsu. Besides them, a square section of ground suddenly rose, forming a clay wall.

" Woah!" said Naruto excitedly. " Teach me that! Teach me that!"

" I will, if you are a earth type." said Guy, forming another seal and making the wall fall to the ground.

" Every person has a specific element that they lean towards more naturally. They have various advantages and disadvantages. Fire, for example, is the most balanced. It can defend and attack equally. Lighting is only for attack, but nothing can rival it's damaging power. Earth is best for defense, but if used creatively the defenses can become attacks."

" How?" asked Naruto, not understanding.

" Summoning a wall and dropping it on someone." said Tenten, fascinated.

" Oh man, that'd be awesome!" said Naruto, throwing his hands into the air.

" Water is special category, with many special effects, such as the ability to create mists that block vision. Finally, there is wind. While it's attack isn't as powerful as lightning, wind jutsu create the greatest number of attacks. I, unfortunately, don't know any wind jutsu, so let's hope you aren't a wind type."

" How can you tell?" asked Naruto.

" Channel chakra into that paper. How it reacts will show us what type you are." said Guy. Naruto smiled and focused his vision on the paper, which immediately cut in two.

Guy faceplanted.

" If….the paper is cut in two, it means you are a wind type." said Guy, standing up.

" Dammit!" swore Naruto, tossing the paper away. " Is there something else I could learn?"

"Well…." said Guy, scratching his chin. " Truthfully, I know only a few ninjutsu. I do have one that you are suited to with your large chakra reserve."

" What is it?" asked Naruto, not sounding too hopeful.

" The summoning technique." said Guy, flashing his smile. " One of the most powerful and useful of all jutsu. And, one of the hardest to use. While the process is simple, it has high chakra demands."

" Awesome!" said Naruto. Anything only requiring chakra would be easy to learn for him. " What does it summon?"

" Mine summons turtles." said Guy, looking proud. Tenten and Naruto, however, weren't that impressed. " But there are many different summons. For example, Tsunade the Sannin summoned slugs."

_Slugs?_ Tenten cocked her head and tried to imagine how a slug could be useful.

" In fact, I once saw her strongest summon. It was nearly the size of the Hokage's tower."

_Oh._ said Tenten, shuddering as she imagined something that massive squirming its way though town.

" Unfortunately, to begin the summoning technique, you must have signed a contract with the creature you are trying to summon. I'll have to go get it from the person holding the scroll for me."

" Someone else has it?" asked Tenten, confused why Guy wouldn't have something so important.

" Truthfully, the summoning scroll isn't mine. It's belongs to my wife."

----

" Thanks." said Tenten, holding the ice pack to her head. When Guy mentioned he was married, her brain…broke. So did Naruto's. They had both faceplanted hard.. Guy had made sure they were alive before jogging off to get the summoning contract.

" Yeah." said Naruto, who had gone and gotten the ice.

" Well, time to get to work." Tenten said, opening the first scroll and reading.

_Shadow Shuriken Replication…focus chakra into the shuriken and….._

" EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" she shrieked, clutching the scroll to her chest and smiling so wide her face hurt.

" What? What?" asked Naruto, bewildered and concerned looking.

" A jutsu that allows me to make clones of shuriken!" she replied excitedly.

" But you already have like a million." Naruto pointed out.

" No, this is like….you throw it and a bunch of copies appear. Like your shadow clones." said Tenten, now quite fond of Guy for giving her something like this. " Each time I throw one, I can turn it into like a million!"

" Aw crap." Naruto said, looking nervous. Tenten gave him a sympathetic smile, as he'd be the one dodging the shuriken. " I guess that's what he meant with the ' hit five trees at once' thing."

" And the other thing…." Tenten said, eyes going wide. She reached for the other scroll and tossed it open.

_Chakra Strings….multiple uses….attach to weapons…._

" No way." Tenten said, jaw hanging open.

" I'm not going to like this, am I?" asked Naruto, gulping.

" It's a technique that lets you attach stings made of pure chakra to things. I can use it to retrieve weapons from a distance or make them move. It says you can attach the strings to anything! I could attach them to you and trip you!"

" I'd cut them as soon as I could." Naruto said, sounding unimpressed.

" Since their made of chakra, it's nearly impossible to do that." said Tenten, reading on. " It's hard to connect them to someone with out them noticing, and if they do they just have to get far enough from you that the strings snap. But it's still really cool."

" Well, I'm going to have a new technique too, so watch out." said Naruto, giving her a friendly smile. The two genin nodded and began training.

----

" It worked!" cheered Tenten as a single shadowy copy spilt from the shuriken she had tossed at a target. It had taken a few hours, but she had finally got it. It was way more complicated than the clone and transformation techniques, so getting it right was quite fulfilling.

" I have returned, my youthful students!" Tenten and Naruto turned to see Guy and Lee jogging towards then. Guy had a large scroll on his back. He stopped and told Lee to continue on, then turned to Naruto.

Tenten continued to practice with the shuriken replication, and as the day came to a close she had gotten to where she could create several replications and hit accurately with them a decent amount of the time.

Naruto hadn't done so well.

After signing the contract he began to practice the jutsu. Guy immediately left after showing Naruto the hand seals, meaning that he was unavailable to help. However, Naruto seemed to be able to perform the jutsu correctly.

The problem was the turtles he summoned were hatchlings.

" Why the hell isn't this working!?" he swore in frustration, falling back onto the grass. " I'm putting all the chakra in that I can, but I don't get anything!"

" Actually, what you get is just useless." said Tenten, talking a seat next to him. " Maybe it takes a while to get used to summoning or something. Kinda like learning the weight of a new weapon."

" I hope so." said Naruto, calming down. " I wish sensei had stayed and helped us."

" Yeah, I do to." said Tenten, leaning against a tree. " I know Lee need's help, but it'd be nice for some real training."

" Well, ramen makes everything better." said Naruto as a smile broke on his face. " Want to head to the stand?"

" Sure!"

----

The next day Guy decided that it was time for them to try for a mission. After the usual brutal morning warm-ups they went to the Hokage's tower, where the chunnin greeted them nervously. The other genin teams kept their distance, obviously having heard about the last time.

Tenten, to her surprise, shared Naruto and Lee's opinion that another fight would be just fine.

" Hokage-sama, Team Guy is reporting for a mission!" said Guy, skipping into the meeting room when it was their turn. The genin came in behind him and tried to ignore the looks of shock from everyone but the Hokage, who seemed rather amused by Guy.

" Well….we have a few D-rank ones for you." said the Hokage, looking down the list. " They won't be as exciting as the incident last time, but they should make you a little money."

" D-rank?" asked Naruto.

" The lowest ranked missions." explained Tenten. " They are more like chores the village needs gone that real missions."

" Screw that!" said Naruto, folding his arms. " I want a real mission."

Tenten sighed.

" Ow!" Naruto exclaimed as she kicked him in the shin. " Stop that!" he begged as she hit him again. She continued kicking him, despite any protests he made. " Fine, I'll do the stupid mission, just stop!"

" Yosh!" said Guy, pumping his arm. " Tenten, you have used your youth and foot creatively to motivate Naruto!"

" Not really." said Tenten with a giggle. " You have to do the same thing with my neighbors cat to get it out of the way."

The silence from the stunned onlookers was priceless.

" Erm…." said the Hokage, clearing his throat. " The Hyuuga need someone to repaint a wall on their manor. The pay isn't good, but it's the best one I have for you."

" Why are the others not suited to us?" asked Lee, furrowing his brow.

" Because I don't think it would be wise to send Tenten on a mission to catch the fire lords cat." said the Hokage, smiling.

-----

" Man, that's a white building." whistled Naruto.

The Hyuuga manor was indeed white, as well as large. Those were the only things that could be used to describe the building, as it was plain and unadorned. Tenten, with what she knew of the Hyuuga clan, wasn't surprised. They were famously bland, as Neji's style of dress had suggested.

" And now to begin!" said Guy, knocking on the large wooden gate. When there was no immediate answer he began to knock again, only louder. And he continued to increase until he had begun to put divots into the wall. The gate was suddenly wrenched open by a Hyuuga ( with the ever-present long hair and white robes), who looked quite annoyed.

" Yes?" he asked in a dry voice.

" I am Might Guy, the youthful Green Beast of Kohona!" yelled Guy, taking his pose. " and these are my students! We have been sent here to fulfill the painting job that your clan gave the Hokage!"

Cringing, the man nodded and let them in.

Inside was a white and plain as the exterior was. A number of nondescript Hyuuga were training and going about their routines. They were taken down a side passage into a small, radiant garden. There were flowers of almost every type and color, though orange seemed dominant, and the paths and small pond were well tended to. However, the walls seemed to have been neglected for a number of years. They were wordlessly given several buckets and brushes.

" Why don't they do this?" asked Naruto, forming a few clones to help. " It'd be cheaper."

" The Hyuuga are the strongest clan in the village." Tenten explained, as Guy looked at a loss. " I bet they consider this kind of thing beneath them."

" How unyouthful." said Lee, dipping his brush into the paint.

After several hours (mostly thanks to the fact that none of the boys did very good jobs, so Tenten had to check everything they did) they finished and sat back, enjoying the pleasant surroundings from a well used wooden bench.

" I wonder if Neji is here." Lee said, wiping a droplet of sweat from his brow. " I am sure that challenging a genius such as he would give me a new insight in how to defeat Naruto."

" He's pretty good?" asked Naruto.

" He should have passed best in the class." said Tenten with a sigh. " But he got sick the day of the exam. He still barely failed."

" It was quite motivational." added Lee, nodding. " I have never seen someone get the flu, pinkeye, and the chickenpox at the same time. Yet, he was still able to fight and do jutsu."

" Woah." said Naruto, blinking.

" The fires of his youth sound impressive." said Guy, giving Lee a smile. " Perhaps we could arrange a match."

They were suddenly distracted by a squeak and looked up, finding a Hyuuga girl with short hair standing there, blushing and looking terrified.

" Hi, Hinata!" said Naruto, waving. _I guess he knows her. Maybe they were in the same class or something._ thought Tenten. The girl seemed unable to move and Tenten could sense the timidness many kunochi at her age had.

Okay, not sense. It was literally spelled out in the girls posture.

"N-naru…ru…" the girl stuttered. She gave another squeak, turned, and fled.

" Man, she's so weird." said Naruto, sitting back. Everyone else on the team looked to him in shock. _She just ran away from him in terror and he's not even surprised? Damn, what's the village done to your family, Naruto?_

" Does she often do that?" asked Lee, his large brows furrowed.

" Every time I talk to her." said Naruto with a laugh. " One time, I walked around a corner and ran into her in the academy and she completely freaked out. She was screaming and one of the teachers had to restrain her until she fainted."

_If I ever get a shot at her, I'm taking it._ thought Tenten, twirling a senbon. _Hating Naruto-kun….I don't see how anyone could. _

" What is going on?" asked Neji, walking in. " Hinata-sama, I heard…" He trailed off as he spotted them.

" Hi Neji!" said Tenten, waving politely. " We got hired to paint a wall for your clan. We just got done."

" A good use of your abilities." said Neji with a snort, turning to leave.

" Hey!" said Naruto with a snarl. " You take that back!"

" Why?" asked Neji, raising a eyebrow curiously.

" Cause you're a ass, that's why." said Naruto, seeming unusually annoyed. Neji laughed and continued to leave.

" Neji!" said Lee, leaping to his feet. " I wish to challenge you!"

" I would win." Neji replied.

" That is not known! We should test our youthfulness against each other!"

"…"

" Fine."

----

Five minutes later, things looked bad.

Tenten sighed, wondering how this had happened. Once moment they'd been about to go home, the next moment the entire Hyuuga clan watched as the branch family genius embarrass Lee while Naruto grew steadily more annoyed with the' white eyed bastards'.

" Give up." said Neji calmly, slapping a punch away. Lee was going all out (though his weights were still on, as Guy-sensei ordered), but he had yet to land a single hit. Neji seemed calm, as if the fight was effortless for him. Lee's footing shifted for a second, causing him to lose balance long enough for Neji to shut a chakra point in his shoulder.

" Ahh!" cried Lee, holding his numb arm and backing away. The Hyuuga were all looking on in amusement as he struggled to flex his arm to continue.

" This match is over." sighed Neji, seeming bored. " A loser like him never had a chance."

" That's it!" yelled Naruto, leaping into the training field. " Lee, mind if I beat him up first?"

" Go ahead." said Lee, smiling as he walked over to Guy, who immediately began reviewing his mistakes with Lee.

" Naruto Uzamaki, village prankster and worst ranked genin." said Neji, assessing the small blonde as they circled, waiting for the first move. " Rumored to have been passed due to favoritism. You are less of a threat than Lee."

" Hah!" laughed Tenten. " Ah hah ha he ha!"

The Hyuuga looked concerned as Lee and Guy joined her.

" Oh, man. Neji, good luck." said Tenten, wiping a tear from her eye with a chuckle. Naruto smirked, his confidence boosted, and formed a team of clones.

Neji had seemed to go wide eyed as Naruto charged, but that had really just been him activating his Byakugan. He drove Jyuuken strike into the first clone, destroying it, but the others began to pour in. He tore through them, far faster than Lee did or Tenten did without weapons, finishing them with single hits and avoiding their attacks with ballerina like grace.

Until a uppercut from a suicide attack caught him in the chin, knocking him into the air.

Tenten knew it was over at that point. Clones continued to batter him into the air, denying him the opportunity to recover. The Hyuuga looked on in horror as a chain of clones formed, catching Neji by the heels and throwing his downwards. The clones below tossed another up and Neji was struck by an aerial head butt, destroying the clone and knocking him out. The clones caught him as he landed, setting him on the ground.

Tenten didn't know what surprised her more: The fact the Hyuuga looked amazed at Neji's loss or the fact they all seemed to approve of it.

" Impressive." said a Hyuuga man Tenten recognized as the clan leader, walking out of the crowd. He was trailed by Hinata-teme and another young girl. " As I would expect from you."

Tenten could feel every adult tense with his words, Guy included.

" Thanks?" said Naruto, scratching the back of his head. His eyes met with Hinata for a second, causing her to shift behind her father and look out cautiously from behind.

" You will now leave." he said, motioning to the gate. " Please refrain from ever visiting my manor again."

Tenten was just about to protest when Guy put his hand over her mouth and forced her to follow Lee and Naruto out the gates. She gave a muffled sigh, glared at Hinata one last time, and departed.

" What the hell was that?" she asked once they were down the road.

" The Hyuuga are a powerful and moody clan." explained Guy apologetically. " It would be unwise to provoke them."

" But all I did was beat Neji!" Naruto complained.

" True. You beat their genius, the most talented young member of their clan." said Guy. " Though it was a victory for you, it is seen as a great shame to them."

" Oh." said Naruto, turning and entering sad mode.

They went their separate ways shortly after that. Tenten watched from afar as he entered his apartment.

_Naruto-kun….._she thought, feeling sorrow for the boy. The hate surrounding the boy should have crushed him already, but somehow he was carrying on. Tenten couldn't understand why he hadn't left the village long ago. _I'll make sure you always are treated right from here on. _

_I guess I'll be doing a lot of kicking._


End file.
